Level crossing crash latest

British Transport Police has confirmed that two men were in a car struck by a freight train at Sandy Lane level crossing in Yarnton, Oxfordshires, yesterday.

BTP and Thames Valley Police officers were called to the incident, which was reported to at 3.40pm.

South Central Ambulance Service medics also attended. Two men were in the vehicle at the time of the collision. Sadly the passenger of the vehicle, an 85-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 78-year-old driver of the vehicle was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital, where is he being treated for his injuries and remains in a stable condition."

– British Transport Police statement

The train was a Trafford Park to Southampton freight service, and the train driver was left shaken but uninjured. The driver pulled the emergency brake on the train but was unable to stop in time.

The line was closed last night whilst an investigation was carried by officers and the rail industry.

The vehicle has been recovered and the line was handed back to Network Rail at 10.40pm. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch and the Office of Rail Regulation have been informed, and officers will continue to build a file for the Coroner.

Officers are continuing their investigation and will continue to work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the car came to be on the tracks."